Wear A Mask For 100 Policy Analysis

 

Biden's election came at a time of need when the US and the rest of the world are battling
one of the fatal pandemics in decades. The US has registered 14.1 million cases of COVID 19
and more than 276, 000 deaths related to the virus. His election over the incumbent president is
an indication of a need for a change. This need for a change indicates that the previous
administration had failed in the eyes of the American voters and expect the new administration to
take a new route in excising its rule over them. One reason that Trump failed in the eyes of many
Americans and especially those who lean to the democratic side was his slow response to the
pandemic (BBC, 2020). First, he ignored the warnings by the CDC and the FBI about the threat
of the virus. When the virus was evident in the country, he said that the US was headed to the
summer. The virus would go away as it could not live under the hot weather, which also seemed
a fantasy as the virus spread even during the summer. When the situation was out of hand, he
started blaming China over the virus saying that they had failed to control the spread of the
infection back in Wuhan and thus they were the ones to blame for the disease (Jaffe, 2020).
Biden wants to give people the change that they seek for by providing them with a realistic
solution to the problem that the previous administration has failed to tackle sufficiently.
Biden’s presidency comes at a crucial time when the world has discovered a possible
vaccine for the virus that has affected every aspect of the globe. The UK was the first country t
allow the Pfizer vaccine to be used on its people. Currently, the pharmaceutical companies are
busy organizing to ship tones of the vaccine to the American public. The virus creates some hope
for the world as it will be a good way of preventing further spread. However, certain constraints
will affect its effectiveness, especially the time it will take to reach every person in the country
(Jaffe, 2020). There is still an obstacle to the vaccine's controversies as some people are saying

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that the vaccine is a microchip that the government will use to trace people while other claims
that the vaccine is turning people into zombies. Despite these allegations being mere fake news,
people tend to believe in what they read, and a significant number of Americans is opposed to
the vaccine. Thus it will be hard to protect them using vaccine (Weixel, 2020). Among others,
these two factors will affect the effectiveness and efficiency of the vaccine in protecting
American lives. This could be why Biden is seeking to use the facemasks. In his joint interview
together with his vice president-elect Kamara Harris on CNN, Biden stated that “and I think we'll
see a significant reduction if we occur that, if that occurs with vaccinations and masking to drive
down the numbers considerably." (BBC, 2020). Suppose the American society is to win the
battle against the dangerous pandemic that threatens its existence. In that case, they should use
all available weapons at their disposal and Biden taking over the leadership of the war then he is
ready to use all the methods available to him. Biden understands that this war cannot be won by
the government alone and that’s why he is calling on the American people to join in with al they
can.
The president’s executive authority covers all the US government’s property, and Biden
intends to use this power. To this end, Biden stated that he would issue a standing order that will
make it necessary for every person in a federal building to put on a mask. Interstate
transportations must be masked whether using buses, aeroplanes, or trains (Dean, 2020). In line
with Biden's requirements, US airlines and airports have put in some rules that require
passengers and workers to wear a mask. Trump's administration had ignored the American health
workers' call to order all people using public transport to put on a mask. The administration had
described such a step as overly restrictive and going against people’s freedoms and rights
(Weixel, 2020). However, Biden is not ready to follow the footsteps of his predecessor. Trump

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was a well-known leader who dismissed scientific findings. Despite the scientific evidence
indicating that masks have a positive effect in reducing the COVID 19 numbers, he was not
ready to take the advice (BBC, 2020). In Biden's policy, the order won't last forever, it will only
last for 100 days, and then people won’t be required to wear a mask in these federal properties as
the cases will have reduced significantly. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all.
Biden is ready to lead the American government workers in setting an example of making a
sacrifice for the country's greater good.
Despite the power that Biden has over government properties, he has no constitutional
power to order all Americans to put on a mask. To this end, Biden is not ready to go on a
constitutional battle with his citizens he will use his power to influence the people. One way of
spreading his influence is by explaining to them as he did in the CNN interview on the
importance and benefits of putting on a facemask (Dean, 2020). This way, people have a
tendency to listen to big political figures, and some will heed to the call and put on facemasks.
Biden also wishes to set an example for the people which they can follow. As a result, Biden and
his vice president-elect will set an example for the American public by putting on a face mask in
the faith that they will see it and adopt the behaviour (Jaffe, 2020). COVID 19 precautions in
Bidens team will not begin with his days in office as even during his campaigns, Biden would
always wear a face mask in public, which even made Trump criticize him at some point.
Therefore, the initiative to have people wear a mask for the next 100 day is just a continuation of
the program that they began during their campaigns.
One of the greatest challenges that Biden’s administration faces is the pandemic that has
shaken every nation in the world. COVID 19 is, therefore, one of his priority as he takes over the
office. In the US, the first 100 days in office for a president are symbolically crucial in gauging

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how the president will get things done (Dean, 2020). As a president-elect, Biden has begun
preparing people's mind n what to expect when he gets into the office. Even though he has no
powers to implement such a policy yet, he wants the people to know that as he waits to be sworn
in as the president, he is still working on saving the country from the pandemic. Scientific
researches have proved that masks are effective in the control of infectious diseases such as
influenzas. Biden hopes that this scientific evidence will hold in the case of COVID 19.
Therefore, Biden’s efforts to have people wear masks on the first one hundred days of his
presidency together with the administration of more than 100 million vaccines could go a long
way in significantly reducing the number of COVID 19 positive cases (Weixel, 2020). If the
policy succeeds, then Biden will have won the American people's confidence as the right person
to lead them for the next four years as he will have solved what the Trump-led administration
could not have solved in almost a year. This could be a major boost to any of Biden's policies in
the future as people will trust and follow them easily.
In a nutshell, Biden takes office at a time that the American society needs saving. The
number of positive cases for COVID 19 is the highest globally, and this is not a good place for
America which has proved to set trends in the past for others to follow. Biden wishes to change
the situation, and in doing so, he wishes to apply a multifaceted solution to a complex solution.
He wishes to use the vaccine to control the spread together with the facemask. Unlike his
predecessor who always dismissed science, Biden has appointed medical experts into senior
positions within the department of health and human services. This way, Biden will get the best
advice on combatting the virus and probably win the battle in a short time. If Biden’s on 100-
days policy succeeds, he will have an easy time as he will have proved to the American citizenly

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that he is capable of his job and thus people will tend to believe in the policies that he will
formulate.

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References

BBC. (2020, December 4). Biden to ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days. BBC
News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55182309
Dean, G. (2020, December 4). Biden will ask Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of
his presidency. Business Insider Africa. https://africa.businessinsider.com/news/biden-
will-ask-americans-to-wear-masks-for-the-first-100-days-of-his-presidency/ddd7q56
Jaffe, A. (2020, December 4). Biden says he will ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days to
fight COVID-19 spread. Time. https://time.com/5917834/joe-biden-masks-100-days/
Weixel, N. (2020, December 3). Biden to urge wearing masks for first 100 days in office.
TheHill. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/528687-biden-will-call-for-people-to-
wear-masks-for-100-days